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Cheater Korean Beef

Cheater Korean Beef is the kind of recipe that both beginning and experienced cooks need in their life.

This simple meal comes together in minutes and is full of fantastic flavors. It’s easier than ordering take-out, saves you money, and tastes better too!

Korean Beef

I love so many things about this recipe! Korean Beef has been a favorite takeout meal for me for a long time. A good korean beef is salty, savory, sweet, tangy and spicy all at once.

The recipe I’m sharing today is a “cheater” version because it uses ground beef instead of the more traditional (and expensive) cuts of meat. This dish includes our favorite Asian ingredients, including fresh ginger.

Everything is simple enough to be found in most grocery stores, too. No running around town looking for hard-to-find ingredients. (Who has time for that?)

The fact it’s made with ground beef instead of a more expensive cut of meat makes it a really great alternative to the pricier meats when you are craving Chinese food or an Asian meal.

Best of all, you can make this recipe start to finish in less than 20 minutes.

Korean Beef Bowl

I’ve served the beef over rice, wrapped in lettuce, and on top of a salad.

A Korean Beef Bowl with this meat served over perfectly cooked white or brown rice makes for a crowd pleasing dinner or lunch. It packs up wonderfully in to-go containers to take to work or school and reheats beautifully.

We like this Korean Beef recipe so much that I’ve taken to doubling the recipe every time I make it just to ensure we have leftovers. I get absolutely giddy when I’m wondering what to serve for lunch and remember I have a tupperware container of Korean Beef waiting in the fridge!

Your favorite takeout place is going to start missing you once you get Cheater Korean Beef into your meal rotation. It’s so easy, flavorful and economical that you’ll wonder where this recipe has been all your life.

Korean Beef Recipe

I’ve tried a few different Korean Beef recipes over the years. When my friend Amy told me about this Cheater Korean Beef, I made it the very next day.

We were in the middle of moving and over the next month, I made this for dinner four more times. My family has lots of favorite meals so, as you can imagine, that says a lot about how much we enjoyed this beef.

This is the perfect dinner for busy nights when you just don’t have much time to think about what you’re going to be eating. My kids still cheer when they see this on the stove, even after eating it countless times over the past few years.

Korean Beef is also easy to turn into a freezer meal. Just freeze the beef before you add the green onions. After thawing and reheating, add the green onions on top when you’re ready to serve.

Cheater Korean Beef is a simple meal that comes together in minutes. It's easier than ordering take-out, saves you money, and tastes better too!Recipe adapted from and with thanks to Lizzy Writes and The Girl Who Ate Everything via BellyFull

Course: Main Course

Servings: 4servings

Calories: 395kcal

Ingredients

1tablespoonsesame oil

1poundsground beef

3-4large cloves garlicminced

1tablespoon fresh gingercut into tiny matchsticks

1/4cuplight brown sugar

2teaspoonscornstarch

1/3cupsoy sauce

2-3teaspoons chili paste

1/4teaspoonkosher saltadjust to taste

Optional: 1 cup frozen peas

3green onionssliced thin

Instructions

Warm the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Brown the beef until cooked through, crumbling it as it browns. Drain thoroughly, then add the garlic and ginger and cook another minute or two until fragrant.

Whisk together the brown sugar, cornstarch, soy sauce, and chili paste. Pour the liquids over the beef, stir to combine, and bring to a simmer for 2 minutes to blend the flavors and slightly thicken the sauce. Add the peas, stir and simmer a minute longer. The peas will thaw and warm in the hot skillet. Enjoy!

Notes

This dish reheats wonderfully. I've learned to double the recipe every time I make it. The beef freezes well too, just skip the green onions and sprinkle them on the top when ready to serve. Cheater Korean Beef is pretty much the ultimate in flavorful and frugal make-ahead meals.

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About Mary Younkin

Hi, I’m Mary. I’m the author, cook, photographer, and travel lover behind the scenes here at Barefeet In The Kitchen. I'm also the author of three cookbooks dedicated to making cooking from scratch as simple as possible.

You can skip the chili paste, however, it does add a depth of flavor to the final dish. Given the choice, I’d recommend simply using a little less vs skipping it altogether. I’ve never used chili sesame oil, so I can’t speak to how that would work in this recipe.

Awesome flavours! I always love to eat Korean beef but was not aware of the recipe.Easy to make and just need two utensils to make it and that is also easily available top rice cooker and skillet. Keep sharing such more recipes!

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